The top of town · Barichara

Santa Bárbara

A yellow-stone chapel, its plaza, and a sculpture park with canyon views, four blocks from the main square.

1 / 6 · The climb

The top of town

Four blocks from the main square, the plaza crowns Barichara.

2 / 6 · The chapel

Yellow stone

A Romanesque-style church with a single nave, a bell gable, and a bell tower.

3 / 6 · The bell gable

Bells against the sky

The façade is original; the interior was restored.

4 / 6 · Inside

An altarpiece of gold and wood

Polychrome, with gold leaf, arabesques, and inverted flowers. The chapel is currently closed for repairs.

5 / 6 · Next door

Parque para las Artes

22 stone sculptures by artists from 11 countries, linked by a thin stream of water.

6 / 6 · By night

The chapel lit up

At nightfall, the yellow stone glows.

Good to know

Santa Bárbara Chapel and Parque para las Artes

Three free stops come together at the top of Barichara: Santa Bárbara Chapel, which may be the oldest in town; its small plaza; and the Parque para las Artes, with stone sculptures and a view of the Suárez River canyon. The chapel is closed inside, but you can still visit the façade, the plaza, and the park.

Where: Top of townFour blocks from the main square
Admission: FreePlaza, façade, and Parque para las Artes
Heads-up: The chapel is closed insideSince 2022, due to structural problems—ask if it has reopened
When to go: During the dayAccording to Vanguardia, the park had no lighting

Chapel status: according to Vanguardia (November 2023), it has been closed since October 2022 due to structural problems and lost part of its roof. We couldn’t confirm a reopening for this guide. The façade, the plaza, and the Parque para las Artes are open to visitors.

The chapel

Barichara’s first church?

Its date is a small mystery, because sources disagree. The heritage blog Spoliarium says it was built in the 17th century as a mission chapel and appears to have been the town’s first chapel and founding site. Colombia’s Film Commission describes it as a late-17th-century Romanesque church built entirely of yellow stone. Vanguardia calls it “the 18th-century gem.” And inside, a loose stone bears the year 1800, when it was put into service.

What it’s like

A single nave with a side entrance, a bell gable and bell tower, and a gabled roof with wooden beams. The façade is original; the interior was restored. Inside is a polychrome wooden altarpiece with gold leaf, arabesques, Moorish motifs, and inverted flowers, along with wooden images of Saint Barbara, Saint Gerard Majella, and Mary Help of Christians.

Heritage

Colombia’s Ministry of Culture declared it a Cultural Heritage Site in 1978. Besides Mass, it has hosted weddings and exhibitions.

Parque para las Artes

An open-air stone museum

Just steps from the chapel is the Parque para las Artes Jorge Delgado Sierra, a tribute to the region’s signature craft: stone carving.

It brings together 22 sculptures by artists from the region and from 11 countries, including Colombia. They were created at stone-carving festivals held over a decade; after the last one, the park became the property of the José María Delgado foundation. Sources disagree on the year it opened: Saberes Patiamarillos says 1988, Vanguardia says 1998.

A small stream of water runs through each sculpture, linking them together. There are gardens with native plants, a small stone amphitheater used for dance, concerts, and theater, and a lookout over the Suárez River canyon. Admission is free.

History

From the 17th century to today.

17th century

According to Spoliarium, it was built as a mission chapel and may have been the town’s first.

1800

The year carved on a loose stone inside: when the chapel was put into service.

1978

Colombia’s Ministry of Culture declares it a Cultural Heritage Site.

1988 or 1998

The Parque para las Artes Jorge Delgado Sierra opens. Sources disagree on the year.

2022

In October, the chapel closes due to structural problems; it later loses part of its roof.

Stories and fun facts

Details that are easy to miss.

Two turtles and a sun

The altar features a stone carving of two turtles and a sun. In colonial iconography, turtles symbolized the devout married woman devoted to her home.